The Cleft and Facial Deformity Foundation, headed by Dr. Seidu Bello, has started free craniofacial surgeries for 35 patients with facial tumors in Cross River State.
The effort is being carried out in partnership with a team of medical experts from the TY Danjuma Foundation. The 30th edition of the foundation’s free craniofacial surgery programme was flagged off on Tuesday at the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital, UCTH.
Chief Executive Officer of the Cleft and Deformity Foundation, Dr. Seidu Bello, said he and his team were in Calabar “to assist indigent people pained with facial tumors have confidence in themselves once again.”
Providing context on the global prevalence of cleft conditions, he said that “one in every 300 babies has cleft in America,” while “one in every 700 babies in Europe and Asia actually has a cleft.”
On Africa, he stated, “In Africa, it’s one in every 2,500 babies. So, it’s not as common even in Africa as Europe and America, but they’ve got to the level that they’re scared.” Bello used the occasion to renew calls for the establishment of a dedicated craniofacial hospital in Nigeria.
He said the foundation has plans for a facility estimated to cost about one billion naira, but added that the federal government and public-spirited individuals could also set up such a hospital.
